The Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement challenging the expulsion of Petar Novaković, a senior adviser at the Serbian embassy in Croatia. The ministry called Croatian authorities’ claims “incorrect” and demanded evidence to support their decision.
Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman responded by stating that the expulsion was a matter of choice. He asserted that Novaković did not violate any provisions of the Vienna Convention and was in Croatia for consular, not political, affairs. However, Grlić Radman also challenged the notion that Novaković could have violated Vienna Convention provisions within two months of taking office.
In contrast, Belgrade media has labeled Hrvoje Šnajder, the first secretary of the Croatian embassy in Belgrade, as a spy and suggested that he was recruited to work for the Croatian service. This dispute comes after Serbia expelled Šnajder from his position following allegations that he had been involved in illegal activities while serving as an ambassador in Serbia.